Treasures on earth

Recently I was reading from Matthew chapter 6 with my pre-school aged son about treasure. My son has a little metal box with all his “treasures” inside such as half of a doorknob, a matchbox car, “lots of money” (a.k.a some loose change), and some cap gun ammo “to protect against the bad guys.”

Naturally, he perked up a bit when I read verse 19 “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth (audible gasp) where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.”

“What?”

20. “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.” (jaw drop, wide eyes)

21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

All this talk of treasure and thieves really got his attention! I explained to my little boy what that meant, how the treasures of earth pale in comparison to the treasures of heaven and how we can’t take anything from our treasure boxes with us when we die. His response was:

“Well…….if I’m holding it in my hands I can!” J

I started thinking about what was in my treasure box and where my heart was. There are definitely tangible things that make my life easier. Besides the basic necessities, some that I treasure are cell phones with instant mapping and directions to almost any address you type in, a reliable vehicle, a massage chair that helps me ward off the stresses of life (and motherhood), and air-conditioning. I personally have no idea how anyone ever lived in SETX without air-conditioning!

But, what of the intangible things in my treasure box? Well,

with a small handful of highly active and creative mini mes at my heels, I’m wondering if sometimes I treasure cleanliness over relationships or checking off boxes on my list instead of attending a spontaneous “pavement chalk art class” headed up by my daughter. I started to clean out my treasure box as I thought about what I spend most of my time and energy on and if it was worthy of being in there. I also have to admit I got a little excited about what’s next. Apparently, even if the stuff in your treasure box is as cool as my four-year-olds, the treasures in heaven are beyond comprehension.